Wagon for circus-tents.



W. H. CURTIS. WAGON FOR CIRCUS TENTS.

' APPLICAHON FILED AUG-25, [9!3- 1,1 8%,67Q. Patented May 23, 1916 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES:

A WOHEME" W. H. CURTIS.

, WAGON FOR cmcus mm. v APPLICATION FILED AUG-25 I913 1 1 673 Patented May 23, 1916.

wens in son cmcusuums.

ioness;

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM CURTIS,

the ciiy and county of Denver end-State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Wagons for Circus-Tents; and 1 do declere the following to be a full,

clear, end exact descriptionof my invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it apperteins to make and use the some, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form n pore of "this specifics.iioin.

My inveuilon relates to improvemenis 1n iiregons for circus canvas and its object is; he provide El wagon by virtue of which the a chums used in memes may be; conveniently and quickly loaded and unloaded from the wagon. I

Another objeci of no iuveniiouis to pro vide a wagon which obviates theneoessity",

of folding; and d.nagging the canvas upon the; ground to he ionded or unloaded from the wrigoiu ihus greatly prolonging the life of the com es.

Anothec object of the invention is to provide n simpleend efiicieni wagon which. feciliijei'ee the pecking end unpacking of the Another ohjeci of the invention is to pro Vide s wagon of the close specified, the mechw nism of which is so arranged as to cause transportation i any water which may be in the canvas to be pressed'out of the same when ihc letter is peeked uponthe wagon, thus greatly lessening the weight of the canvas for purposes of Anoiher obieci: ofthe invention is to provide c wagon of ihe class specified provided 1 with cert-min meehsiiism by virtue of which i ishe canine iscnnsed to be packed firiniy end coinpzicilyon the wagon Still another ob]eci3- of my invention is to 7 provide an extremely simple and efii'cient wagon of the ClJiLSS seil foxgth which obviates thenecessiizy of manually folding and porting the canvas to the ordinary conveyance.

i he Siii'l iinolsher object of my invention is'vbo provide a wagon upon which the canvas may be cached and kept in e pacified condiiion wiizhoui being removed from the wagon.

i ii 'iili these and other objects. in View I wili peoceedio describe my i'nventionfwith reference to the accompanying drawing forming opcri hereof.

wuss-Ami is; comic, on 1' States, residing in" some; F g. 3 IS a rear end nail beams Mend 15.

-- common 1 s ecification of more Fejient. Patented May 23, 19 13: mommies led Augu ifl 7856:3575 i i Inthese drawings Figure l is a side elevation of my improved wagon for clrcus canvas; F 1g. 2 13 e cross sectional view of the and Fig; is a section through the hearing or genre-Lil of the spool carried by the running gear of the wagon.

' Corresponding and like parts 'aii'e referred to inthe following detail description and indicated in all the views of the accompany-- lug-drawings by the same reference char ucters.

, Letthe numerals 5 and designate re. spectively front and rear Wheels of the The mechanism described in the foregoing is substantially the some construction emis described here only 'for the purpose of illustrating my invention in connection therewith. I i

Upon each end of the frame or body 9 I View of the same;'

" ployed in the ordinary make of Wagons and I arrange transverse beams ldand 17 'the o said becmbllfi and 1'! beingsuppoi'ied above the said frinne or body 9 by means of vertical uprights 18, and braced by means of bracing irons 20, which pass over-said .beams 16 and 17 and are secured to the longitudi- On top of these trons verse beams 16 and 17, I respectively orrange journcled boxes 21 end 22, in which the extremiiies of a spool 23 are journcled. This spool 23 consists of e hollow pipe, having separeied disks 24 and 25 secured there to. These disks 24 end 25 are res ectively arranged adjecentihejourneled oxes 21 and 22, whereby the canvas or tentingmay be wound upon the hollow pipe 23 between the v two disks 24 end 25. On theouter side of the dish 25, I secure a. gear'wheel 26 to the.

pip e633. This gear wheel 26 meshes with an idle gem? wheel 9i, j ourneled as shown at 28, the idicgeer wheel 27 in iurnmeshing wiih egenrwheel 29 mounted upon a shaft sprocket wheel 31, which is connected with the shaft 32 of on engine 33, by means of 30. Also mounted upon this shaft 30, is o' passing around said sprocket wheel 31 and around a similar sprocket wheel 35 mounted upon the engine shaft. I mount two fly wheels 36 and 37 upon the engine shaft 32; however the construction of this engine is no part of my invention and anysuitable kind of engine may be used. Now when the engine 33'- is in operation the spool "23 will be caused to revolve through the medium of the gear connection above described, whereby the canvas may be wound upon said spool. The sprocket wheelgl is adapted to be made fast to the shaft, 30 by means of a clutch, which clutch is operable by virtue of a lever 38. Thus when it is desired to stop the spool 23 from revolving, the said clutch may be released, whereby the sprocket wheel 31 will be allowed to revolve upon the shaft 30 without causing the latter to revolve, Thus the transmission of power will cease was the sprocket wheel 31, since the gear 29 is made fast to the shaft 30 and the latter must be revolved in order to transmit the power to the spool 23.

-A guide rod 39 is connected with each end of the cross beams 16 and 17, the said guide rods being bent downwardly and connected with the frame or body 9. Cross bars 40 and 11 are arranged to slide upon these rods at each extremity of the wagon are respectively connected by means of the cross bars -10 and 41. These two cross bars 40 and 41 rest upon longitudinally arranged beams 41. and 43 the said beams 42 and 43 are intcrn'iittently connected by means of iron members in which. hand screws 45 are swiveled. The beams 14 and 15 are also intermittently connected by means of cross members 46, in which cross members the hand screws 45 are threaded. These hand screws 45 support the longitudinal beams 42 and 43. which in turn suppprt the cross bars 40 and 41. The longitudinal beams 4'2 and 43 are provided on their up er surfaces with separated cross members 41, inthe extremities of which rollers 13 are journaled. There is a series of these'r'ollers 48 journaled in the extremities of these cross members 47 on each side of the longitudinal beams 42 and 43. For the convenience of further description these series {will be respectively numbered 49 and 50. These series of rollers 49 and 50 may be moved to justment of the hand screws 45., In the course of mov-ingthese series of rollers to and from said spool or pipe 23, thecross bars 40 and 41 move upon the guide rods 39.

These cross bars 40 and 41 serve to hold the said rollers against lateral movement and to enable them to be properly adjusted in a vertical direction.

. I journal upon the beam 14, 105 radiaiiay r ne guide rods 39. In other words the two guide andfrom the spool or pipe 23 by proper adextremities as shownat 53.

journaled at their extremities in members I 52 mounted upon the said beam 14* in separated condition from each other. In applywill result in transmitting power to. the. spool 23, causing the latter to revolve and wind the canvas therearound. As soon as two or three layers of canvas have been wound upon the spool 23, the roll of canvas will then engage with the series of rollers 49 and 50, the latter serving to thoroughly pack and cause the canvas to be tightly wound around the spool The provision of these Seriesof rollers 4:9 and 50 also prevent or obviate the canvas from sagging in the center of the spool, and said series of rollers causes the canvas to be uniformly packed throughout the entire length of the spool. As the layers of'canvas increase around the spool 23, these series of rollers 49 and 50-- are correspondingly lowered. by theproper adjustment of the hand screws 45, always, however, keeping said series of rollers 49 and 50 in close enough engagement with the roll of canvas upon the spool '23 to cause' the said canvas to bethoroughly and uniformly packed throughout the length of the spool. These series of rollers -19v and 50 may of course be lowered by the proper adjustment of the hand screws 45 until the' longitudinal beams 42 and 43 rest upon the bed of the wagon. I been completely wound and packed upon the After the canvas has j spool. in the manner above described, the

hand screws tomay be adjusted upwardly to raise these series of rollers 49 and 50 into tight engagement with the roll of canvas, whereby the said roll will be firmly and compactly held in position by said rollers 49 and 50.

The transverse end beam 16 and 17. upon which the spool- 23 is journaled, are braced by means of inclined members 52. These inclined members52 which brace the transverse beams 16 on the front of the wagon,

extend upwardly above the journal box and are connected togetheriit their uppe A seat 54 l connected to and partially supported by v these members 52'on the front of the wagon,

the said seat being shown connected with said members at a point This seat 54 is the seat 5%. This foot restfi? is connected A foot rest- 57 is supported in front and slightly below one place to another. In loading the canvaswith the frontor the seat by'means of a chain or other flexible device 58. Like all circus wagons or conveyances: this foot rest 01' platform 57 may be raised to the vertical position to make the wagon n a compact form enabling the litter to be conveniently "placed in a railway our for purposes of shipment. A handfwheel 59 is arranged in close i V In the u'se otmy improved wagon for circus tents'ond'cunves it'will be understood suitable oi" proximity to the seat 5 4, said hand wheel 59 101 'shefLGO: This shaft 60 is connected with being seured to the upper extremity of a the brakes til of the wagon, whereby by proper operation ot'the hand wheel 59 =thebrokes fil'moy beeither applied orreleesed its desired.

* thotthe wagon may be driven to the place whereithe canvas is to be loaded or unloaddthus making it possible to attach the canvasto the spool 23 without dragging the canvus over the ground, in order to fold the i some for 'the purpose of leading upon the wagon or conveyances heretofore used for the purposev of conveying the canvas from upon my improved wagon, all that is neces- Sery is to first attach one end of the canvas Q to the roller 23 whereupon no further manquited, but'fit will then be mechanicallyual manipuletion of the canvas will be re- .Wound upon the spool 23. Thej'ournalbox 21, mounted on topot. the

. transverse boom 16., is pivoted by means of a pivot pin "62', secured to said journal box and passing through the beam. NJ The betit tom of'this 5011mm box 21 is provided with a metal bearing plate 63, while the top oi. said beam 17 is provided with a cooperating metal .beuring plate 64. By this arrangement the two journal boxes 21 and 22 are ii continuously kept in alinement with each 5, lother, whereby the 'ournals of the spool 23 are prevented from inding when one wheel of the vehicle or wagon is in a depression of the grounder on a lower level than the rest of-tlie wheels of the vehicle. That is if one of the wheels of the vehicle should be resting upon -lowerground than the re mainder of the wheels of the vehicle, the journal boxes 21 would turn upon a pivot to keep or maintain the two journaled boxes 21'nnd 22 in their alined position. In prac' tice I have found that a construction of this character is very necessary in this wagon.

. In other words this wagon must be relatively long in order to properly accommodate the canvas used in circuses and for thisreasonwheuone wheel of the some is on a devel flowerthsn the dither wheels, the two journejljboxes will bemoved'out of slimemerit, unless, howeveryone of said ournal l .xes is "pivoted as described in the fore qfoin 51 g H u I n ile I heveillustrated and described herein a specific form of my invention it is understood that'I am not limited thereto end that the same may be varied and modi- [led without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I Having thus described my ipvention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patcut is l. Winding and reeling mechanism, com-' prising a spool, a support upon which said spool is journaled, rollers arranged longitudinally of said spool on opposite sides of the vertical plane of the axis of the latter, said rollers being arranged below the axis 3 of said spool, meansfor adjusting said rollcrs with respect to said spool, and another roller journaled below the zixis of said first named rollers offset from the vertical plane of said first named rollers, substantially as described.

2. Winding and reeling-mechanism, comprising a portable support, a drum journaled upon said support, a roller mounted on said support longitudinally of said drum offset from the vertical plane of the axis of the latter, and screws threaded in said support and operati'vely connectedwith said roller, whereby the latter may beodjusted with respect to said drum, and at second roller journaled on saidsupport and longitudi-nally arranged with respect to said first named roller, said last named-roller being offset from the vertical plane of the axis of i of the latter, transverse members the oppo-' site extremities of which are engogedwith said guide rods, longitudinal members supported by said transverse membersin sepurated relation, other transverse members mounted upon said longitudinal members, rollers journeled' longitudinally with said longitudinal members in said other tronsvcrse members, said rollers being respectively arranged adjacent either of said longitudinal members and in planes ofi'set from the plane of the vertical axis of said drum, and means for vertically adjusting the plane of said rollers with respect to said drum. ftdVinding and reeling mechanism, comprising a drum, a support upon which said drum is mounted, a roller carrying frame mounted upon said support below theaxis of said drum, suid frame coniprising lon- .gitudinelly arranged separated meinbers extending parallel with; said. digum, guide memextremities fof said longitudinalgniembers 13o are respectively connected, the extremities of said transverse members engaging with said guide members, rollers journaled upon said roller carrying frame on opposite sides of the vertical plane of the axis of said drum, and a plurality of adjusting screws upon which said roller carrying frame is mounted, said adjusting screws forming an adjustable connection for said frame between the latter and said'support.

Winding and reeling mechanism, comprislng a portable support, a drum ]0\11- naled upon said support, a roller carrying j frame vertically movable uponitsaid support below the axis of said drum, guide 'members mounted upon said support near the.

opposite extremities of the latter, the opposite extremities of said roller carrying frame being engaged with said guide .-members, rollers journaled upon said roller carrying frame, and a plurality of adjusting screws threaded in said support and engaging said roller carrying frame.

6. Winding and reeling mechanism of the class described, comprising a support, a drum journaled upon said support, an adjusting member carried by said support, a frame supported by said adjusting member below the axis of said drum, guide members mounted on said support near the opposite extremities of the latter, the opposite eX- tremities of said frame engaging with said guide members, anti-friction members mounted upon said frame, and said adjusting member being operable to i'ary the distance of said frame from the axis of said drum, as the convolutions of the material increase around said drum for the purpose I of tightening said material around said drum, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. I

1 WILLIAM H. CURTIS. Witnesses:

v Ronnnr H. GALBREATH,

Jxo. G. POWELL. 

